Thyristor Convertor

Patent Pending A thyristor is a two- to four-lead solid-state semiconductor device with four layers of alternating N and P-type material. They act exclusively as bistable switches, conducting when their gate receives a current trigger, and continue to conduct while they are forward biased (that is, while the voltage across the device is not reversed). A three-lead thyristor is designed to control the larger current of its two leads by combining that current with the smaller current or voltage of its other lead - known as its control lead. On the other hand, a two-lead thyristor is designed to 'switch on' if the potential difference between its leads is sufficiently large - a value representing its breakdown voltage.